Bryan Ray

CO-FOUNDER / EDITOR / NORTH AMERICA ... has been writing about Canadian rugby since 1998 for various publications. Also talks sports (and sometimes other things) on CBC Radio. Former player of 20+ years, coach, and senior referee.

Serious Questions asked of Romanian player eligibility

Hot on the heels of player eligibility rows that have seen Tahiti disqualified from World Cup qualification and Belgium under investigation is now a third case involving a Romanian international. The Oaks have incorporated several overseas players on residency to their team in recent years but the legitimacy of one …

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Major League Rugby – One Month Out

We’re almost there. One month from today the whistle will blow, the ball will fly through the air, and it will be game on for the newest professional rugby competition in the Americas – Major League Rugby. If things go as planned there will be another beginning further south down …

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A Dark Day for Rugby

On Saturday we witnessed Ireland make history with a Grand Slam finish of the Six Nations, arguably the world’s most prestigious rugby event outside of the World Cup. A day of celebration for the rugby world though decidedly somber for England rugby devotees. When we woke from the hangover on …

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Visa delays force Seawolves to cancel Victoria match

Major League Rugby has hit its first speed bump. Late Wednesday evening its Seattle franchise, the Seawolves, were forced to pull out of a scheduled preseason match against the Vancouver Island Crimson Tide. The match was due to take place at Westhills Stadium in Langford, BC, on Sunday afternoon. A …

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Hooley headlines impressive Eagles freshmen class

There are 13 uncapped players in the Eagles squad for the Americas Rugby Championship. It does sound like a lot. By comparison there were 10 new caps in last year’s ARC. The inaugural ARC in 2016, however, handed debuts to a whopping 25 newcomers. Of those, seven are returning for …

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Heaton Ready to Tackle All Comers

When he’s not busy throwing his body in front of small buses disguised as human beings, Matt Heaton can often be found moving heavy inanimate objects on iron bars. A casual glance at his social media postings will tell you that the hours required in the gym by a professional …

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High hopes for Canadian University Men’s Championship

Canadian rugby could be on the verge of a significant milestone on November as a joint announcement last week confirmed an initiative to hold a Canadian Men’s University Rugby Championship in November of this year. The event is set to be hosted by Guelph University, located approximately 100 km west …

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Notes from the North

Once again we’ve drifted far too long between entries. With so much going on behind the scenes it’s hard to keep track of what’s most important in Canadian rugby right now but in this column we’ll try to focus on the immediate concerns – the Women’s World Cup, the CRC, …

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The Straight Feed – Fixing the Fixers

It’s now July 4. Independence Day for those who hail from South of the 49th. Or holed up at the Alaskan Mountain Grounds. The Eagles have now been celebrating for the best part of three days straight. Not only did they steal Canada’s spot in the World Cup, they also …

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USA vs Canada – The Keys to Victory

The day of reckoning is upon us and come Saturday evening there will be one more team with anime invitations in their inbox. While the game in Hamilton was exciting from a spectator’s point of view, it was rife with errors from both teams and in terms of execution left …

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